President Barroso said: "The Commission is extending its smart regulation agenda. REFIT is important for economic growth and jobs in Europe. We want to facilitate the lives of our citizens and businesses by focusing EU law on those issues that are best dealt with at European level, while making it lighter, simpler and less costly. We are making good progress. But results do not come over night. Success demands continued efforts, clear political priorities and ownership by all EU institutions and in particular the Member States. It is crucially important to continue this work in the next legislature."

Just a few days ahead of the European Council, the Commission pushes the EU's smart regulation agenda further.

A Communication adopted today shows that the implementation of the Commission's Regulatory Fitness and Performance programme (REFIT) is in full swing and that EU law is indeed becoming lighter, simpler and less costly. In addition, the Commission is stepping up the momentum of smart regulation by presenting a number of new initiatives for simplification, withdrawals of pending proposals and repeals of existing legislation. The first edition of an annual scoreboard assesses the progress made in all policy areas and for each individual initiative, including on the side of Council and Parliament.

President Barroso said: "The Commission is extending its smart regulation agenda. REFIT is important for economic growth and jobs in Europe. We want to facilitate the lives of our citizens and businesses by focusing EU law on those issues that are best dealt with at European level, while making it lighter, simpler and less costly. We are making good progress. But results do not come over night. Success demands continued efforts, clear political priorities and ownership by all EU institutions and in particular the Member States. It is crucially important to continue this work in the next legislature."